MAY
Féile Nasc May 21st; Marlay Park, Rathfarnham, Dublin; nasc.ie This much-praised one-day folk and traditional music festival features headliner Paul Brady and the likes of Inni-K, Daoirí Farrell, The Bonny Men, Rónán Ó Snodaigh, Strange Boy and Dublin Lasses on the support line-up.
My Chemical Romance May 24th (sold out)/25th; Royal Hospital Kilmainham, Dublin; ticketmaster.ie Skeleton costumes are optional as Gerard Way and his goth-metal/pop friends return.
JUNE
Simply Red June 2nd; Live at Botanic Gardens, Belfast; ticketmaster.ie Mick Hucknall and friends deliver hits such as Holding Back the Years and If You Don't Know Me by Now.
Wild Roots Festival June 2nd-5th; Hazelwood, Sligo; wildroots.ie Inaugural music/arts festival with an impressive Irish line-up that includes Damien Dempsey, Dark Tropics, HamsandwicH, Róisín O and Soda Blonde. UK acts include James Bay, Razorlight and James Morrison.
AVA Festival June 3rd-4th; Titanic Slipways, Belfast; avafestival.com Superb dance/techno/hip-hop festival. Acts appearing across the weekend include Bicep, Mura Masa, Jon Hopkins, Biig Piig and a rake of others.
Paul Heaton & Jacqui Abbott June 4th; St Anne's Park, Dublin; ticketmaster.ie Finally, the former Beautiful South pair make it to Dublin for a lark-in-the-park gig. Special guests are Scottish soul/pop band Deacon Blue.
Forbidden Fruit June 4th/5th (sold out); The Royal Hospital, Kilmainham, Dublin; forbiddenfruit.ie From Bicep to Hot Chip, from Floating Points to Kojaque, from Loyle Carner to The Avalanches, from Gemma Dunleavy to Lorde – happy 10th anniversary to this excellent city-centre festival.
Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds June 5th; St Anne's Park, Dublin; ticketmaster.ie Meat? Check. Two veg? Check. Thick gravy? Check. Special guests include Confidence Man and Two Door Cinema Club.
The National June 7th; Botanic Gardens, Belfast; ticketmaster.ie The guvnors. Simple as.
Dermot Kennedy June 10th/11th; St Anne's Park, Dublin (both shows sold out); mcd.ie Irish singer-songwriter with a powerhouse of a voice and buckets of bared emotion. Also June 24th (Malahide Castle, County Dublin), June 25th (Musgrave Park, Cork).
Beyond the Pale June 10th-12th; Glendalough Estate, Co Wicklow; itsbeyondthepale.ie A new festival features quite the line-up. Artists include Four Tet, Orbital, Lisa Hannigan, Soda Blonde, John Francis Flynn, Nealo, Elaine Mai, Aoife Nessa Francis, New Jackson and Soulé.
Duran Duran June 12th; St Anne's Park, Dublin; ticketmaster.ie Enduring UK pop band. Special guests include Goldfrapp and Irish up-and-comer Sinead O'Brien.
The Killers June 14th/15th; Malahide Castle, Co Dublin (both shows sold out); mcd.ie Mr Brightside and his pals are back for two coastal gigs. Special guest is UK songwriter Sam Fender.
Kodaline June 17th; Malahide Castle, Co Dublin; ticketmaster.ie And it's back in the game for this Irish band, experts in delivering anthemic pop/rock tunes.
Picture This June 17th; Musgrave Park, Cork (sold out); mcd.ie Looking for effortless, efficient pop music? You'll find it here. Special guests include The Vamps and Moncrieff. (Also June 18th, Malahide Castle, Co Dublin; June 19th, Ormeau Park. Sold out.)
Body & Soul June 17th-19th; Ballinlough Castle, Co Westmeath; bodyandsoul.ie One of the originals remains a must-see. Acts include Róisín Murphy, Mogwai, Pillow Queens, CMAT, Lee Fields, Soda Blonde, Yard Act, Lisa O'Neill, Overhead, The Albatross, Strange Boy, JyellowL and Mango x Mathman.
Sea Sessions June 17th-19th; Bundoran, Co Donegal; seasessions.com A much-loved sand'n'surf festival. Acts include Kodaline, Basement Jaxx, All Tvvins, David Keenan, Lyra, Wyvern Lingo and Thumper.
David Gray June 18th; Musgrave Park, Cork; ticketmaster.ie UK singer-songwriter Gray celebrates, belatedly, the 20th anniversary of his trailblazing album White Ladder.
Higher Vision June 18th; Navan Racecourse, Co Meath; highervision2022.eventbrite.ie One-day dance/electro festival featuring deadmau5, Versatile, Dax J, Ejeca, Under Black Helmet, Shampain, Shannen Blessing, Marcus O'Laoire, Belters Only, Chantel Kavanagh, and Sarah Mooney.
The Script June 19th; Musgrave Park, Cork; ticketmaster.ie Irish trio deliver pop/rock with a side order of hip-hop.
Phoebe Bridgers June 20th; Fairview Park, Dublin (sold out); mcd.ie On her way to Glastonbury she might be, but we're very happy that Ms Bridgers is stopping by. Her latest album, Punisher, is a beaut.
Primal Scream June 22nd; Fairview Park, Dublin; ticketmaster.ie Screamadelica Live is the name of Bobby Gillespie's game, and if you want to play it, you know where to go.
Harry Styles June 22nd; Aviva Stadium, Dublin; ticketmaster.ie If rock is in Fairview Park, then pop is here, as former One Direction singer Harry Styles presents his Love on Tour show for the first time in Ireland. Special guest is Mercury Music Prize winner Arlo Parks.
The Chemical Brothers June 23rd; Musgrave Park, Cork; ticketmaster.ie Two men of a certain age continue to make noise for the kids, young and young at heart.
Greta Van Fleet June 23rd; Fairview Park, Dublin; ticketmaster.ie If straight-up rock music is your thing, then say hello to this sibling US rock band.
Lewis Capaldi June 24th; Musgrave Park, Cork (sold out); mcd.ie Scottish performer, much loved over here, as proven by these capacity shows. Also June 25th, Malahide Castle, Co Dublin (sold out); June 26th, Ormeau Park, Belfast (sold out).
The Eagles June 24th; Aviva Stadium, Dublin; ticketmaster.ie US country/folk/rock stalwarts celebrate their 50th birthday. Special guests are Little Big Town.
Inhaler June 25th; Fairview Park, Dublin; ticketmaster.ie Dublin band making good inroads on the path to commercial success, even if the venue size seems somewhat over-ambitious. Support are two of the best new-ish bands: Wet Leg and New Dad.
St Vincent June 26th; Fairview Park, Dublin; ticketmaster.ie A quality US songwriter/musician and no mistake. One for the cognoscenti, we reckon.
Foals June 27th; Fairview Park, Dublin; ticketmaster.ie Textured UK rock band hit tender and terrifying marks, as they plug their forthcoming album, Life Is Yours.
Green Day June 27th; Marlay Park, Rathfarnham, Dublin; ticketmaster.ie US pop/punk stalwarts. Special guests are Fall Out Boy and Weezer.
Trinity College Gigs From June 27th; Trinity College Dublin; ticketmaster.ie A series of gigs in the graceful surrounds of TCD. Shows include Michael Kiwanuka (June 27th), Haim (June 28th), Crowded House (June 29th), Keane (June 30th), The Coronas (July 1st), The Specials (July 2nd) and Beck (July 3rd).
Guns N'Roses June 28th; Marlay Park, Rathfarnham, Dublin; ticketmaster.ie Axl, Slash and company rock the park.
Mabel June 28th; Fairview Park, Dublin; ticketmaster.ie The rising star of UK dance/pop performs tracks from her debut album, High Expectations, as well as new material.
Red Hot Chili Peppers June 29th; Marlay Park, Rathfarnham, Dublin (sold out); mcd.ie Any takers out there for an enthusiastic session of Rathfarnication?
Olivia Rodrigo June 30th; Fairview Park, Dublin (sold out); mcd.ie US singer and songwriter du jour brings her much-praised debut album, Sour, to Ireland. Support is Baby Queen.
JULY
Elton John July 1st; Páirc Uí Chaoimh, Cork; ticketmaster.ie The human hits machine finally makes it to Ireland.
Stereophonics July 1st; Fairview Park, Dublin; ticketmaster.ie Pop/rock from Wales – they're here, so someone must like them.
Longitude July 1st-3rd; Marlay Park, Rathfarnham, Dublin; longitude.ie Manna from heaven for the dance/techno crew. Headliners include Tyler, the Creator, Dave, A$AP Rocky, Doja Cat and Megan Thee Stallion. Lower down the line-up acts includes Denise Chaila, Kojaque, Aby Coulibaly and Rejjie Snow.
Fontaines DC July 2nd/3rd; Iveagh Gardens, Dublin; ticketmaster.ie The boys are back in town. Yes, really.
Mick Flannery & Susan O'Neill July 7th; Iveagh Gardens, Dublin; ticketmaster.ie One of the most creatively intimate collaborations of last year continues.
Westlife July 8th/9th; Aviva Stadium, Dublin; ticketmaster.ie More pop songs from the oldest mop-tops in town as they bring their Wild Dreams tour back home. Also August 12th/13th, Páirc Uí Chaoimh, Cork.
Otherside Music & Arts Festival July 8th-10th; Rock Farm, Slane, Co Meath; othersidefestival.ie There isn't a Slane Castle gig this year, but in the same area (and with a Mountcharles connection), we have this inaugural music and arts festival. The line-up includes Le Boom, Soda Blonde, Mango x Mathman, Nealo, Saint Sister, The Scratch and loads more.
James Blunt July 10th; Iveagh Gardens, Dublin; ticketmaster.ie Assured singer-songwriter plugs his recent greatest hits album, The Stars Beneath My Feet.
Villagers July 14th; Iveagh Gardens, Dublin; ticketmaster.ie A bucolic home from home for one of Ireland's most measured and thoughtful songwriters.
Rex Orange County July 15th; Iveagh Gardens, Dublin; ticketmaster.ie Who Cares? is the flippant (new) album title from this idiosyncratic English singer-songwriter born Alexander James O'Connor. Will his Irish relatives be here to cheer him on?
Forever Young July 15th-17th; Palmerstown House Estate, Co Kildare; foreveryoungfestival.ie Just when you thought they were retired, your Top of the Pops memories return with Boomtown Rats, Paul Young, Nik Kershaw, The Undertones, Tiffany, Hue and Cry, Nick Heyward, Bad Manners, Bananarama, Holly Johnson, Marti Pellow, Wendy James, Chesney Hawkes and 5Star. Hey – where are The Human League?
Pixies July 16th; Iveagh Gardens, Dublin; ticketmaster.ie Still packing a quiet/loud Pixies-shaped punch after all these years? Yep.
Sinead O'Connor July 17th; Iveagh Gardens, Dublin; ticketmaster.ie One of life's treasured mavericks.
All Together Now July 29th-31st; Curraghmore Estate, Co Waterford; alltogethernow.ie A classy festival, no more no less. Acts include Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, Underworld, Sinead O'Connor, Denise Chaila, Pillow Queens, Self Esteem, Gemma Dunleavy, New Dad, CMAT and a cast of many, many more.
Indiependence July 29th-31st; Mitchelstown, Co Cork; indiependencefestival.com One of the country's major summer festivals returns in style. Joining headliners Bastille, Rudimental, and Fatboy Slim are the likes of Jerry Fish, Lyra, Tolu Makay, Erica Cody, The Academic and Sophie Doyle Ryder.
AUGUST
Another Love Story August 19th-21st; Killyon Manor, Co Meath; anotherlovestory.ie This infectiously charming bespoke festival presents a full weekend of music, conversation, art and food. Music acts performing include Niamh Regan, The Altered Hours and Rachael Lavelle.
Simply Red August 26th; National Museum of Ireland, Collins Barracks, Dublin; singularartists.ie Back for another summer gig.
Liam Gallagher August 27th; Royal Hospital Kilmainham, Dublin; ticketmaster.ie Some might view Gallagher with scepticism, but he still knows how to be a great rock-star frontman. The gig itself? It's gonna be biblical, according to the man himself.
Fleet Foxes August 28th; National Museum of Ireland, Collins Barracks, Dublin; singularartists.ie Revered US alt-folk/pop group presents songs from their critically acclaimed and Grammy-nominated album Shore.
SEPTEMBER
Electric Picnic September 2nd-4th; Stradbally, Co Laois (sold out); electricpicnic.ie It's back after a too-long hiatus due to you-know-what. The line-up is equal parts super-commercial (Dermot Kennedy, Snow Patrol, Picture This), super-cool (Tame Impala, Arctic Monkeys) and just darned good (Fontaines DC, Wolf Alice, Pixies and (let's be clear about this) far too many to continue to mention here.
Garth Brooks September 9th/10th/11th/16th/17th; Croke Park, Dublin (sold out); aikenpromotions.com The final open-air concerts of the summer – expect fireworks, much joy and a few tears from a real pro.
